AS and A Level

Physics

SCHEME OF WORK
AS Physics

Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Advanced GCE Physics

Scheme of Work 1 Year (AS)
This is an example and may be adapted.
Specification points 1 8 need to be considered and incorporated into the course as they apply to all topics
Week
1

Prior Learning
GCSE wave
properties and
wave equation,

v = f

Content of Lessons
Mechanical progressive wave properties.
Introduce wave types: transverse, longitudinal
Graphs representing transverse and longitudinal waves.

CORE PRACTICAL 6: Determine the speed of sound

in air using a 2-beam oscilloscope, signal generator,
speaker and microphone.

Wavefronts, coherence, path difference and phase

Principle of superposition and interference
Stationary wave demonstrations.

Teaching Suggestions
Expectation of more
precise definitions for
transverse and longitudinal
waves.

Spec
Reference

Relevant
Support

59, 60, 61,

62, 63, 64

All students should carry

out this experiment.
Demonstrate interference
of sound waves with
loudspeakers and signal
generator.

65, 66, 67

Ripple tank demonstration.

3

Patterns of nodes and antinodes for stretched strings

Demonstrate standing

67, 68, 69

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and open and closed air columns

Speed of a transverse wave on a string: v

GCSE mechanics
describing motion
graphically

waves on strings.

CORE PRACTICAL 7: Investigate the effects of

length, tension and mass per unit length on the
frequency of a vibrating string or wire.

SI base and derived units.

Measurement & techniques.
Sig. figs., scientific notation, standard form and prefixes.
Distance, displacement, speed, velocity and
acceleration.
Displacement/time and velocity/time graphs and their
interpretation, for motion with uniform and non-uniform
acceleration.

Mathematical requirement:
manipulation of an
equation with a square
root in it.
All students should carry
out this experiment.
The work on SI base and
derived units, Sig. figs.,
standard form and prefixes
is required for all topics
and needs to be revisited
regularly.

1,
Introduce 2,
3, 4
10, 11

Displacement/time graph
for a trolley on a runway
with a motion sensor.
Mathematical requirement:
graph plotting and
measuring gradients

GCSE mechanics
equations for
speed and
acceleration

Derive equations of motion:

Examples to include
positive and negative
values of the variables.

9, 19

Mathematical requirement:
manipulate of equations.
Investigate the motion of a

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bouncing ball.

(u v)t
2
v u at

All students should carry

out this experiment.

s ut 12 at 2
v 2 u 2 2as
Practise problems in one dimension.
Measurement of the acceleration of free fall.

CORE PRACTICAL 1: Determine the acceleration of a

freely falling object.

GCSE mechanics

Free-body force diagrams

Newtons second
law as F = ma

Newtons second law of motion

mass and weight

Mass and weight.

Acceleration, mass and force.

F = ma
W = mg

Use of light gates to

investigate the effect of
force and mass on the
acceleration of an object.

16, 17, 18,

20

Motion on a linear air track

to demonstrate N1.
2 students on roller skates

Newtons third law and Newtons first law of motion.

to demonstrate N3.
Examples of free-body
force diagrams for N3.

Introduce vectors and vector addition

Practise calculations scale drawing

Practise calculations using

scale drawing.

Parallelogram law equivalence to nose to tail shown

Investigate the equilibrium

12, 13, 14

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using drawings.
Bodies in equilibrium: vector forces on body sum to
zero, triangle of forces
Resolution of vectors into two components at right
angles to each other by calculation and scale drawing.
8

Resolution of
vectors (Week 7)

Work done and energy transfer

K.E. & G.P.E.
Derivation of

Ek 12 mv 2 and Egrav = mgh

W = Fs and W = Fs.cos
Principle of conservation of energy.
Application to mechanical situations, e.g. frictionless
rollercoaster: Ep + Ek = constant.
9

GCSE equations
for power and
efficiency

Mathematical requirement:
use of trig. functions.
Investigate the transfer of
GPE to KE for a trolley
rolling down a ramp.

W
Fs

t
t

W
E
and P
t
t

25, 26, 27,

28

Include examples where

the direction of the force is
different to the direction of
motion.
Measure the output power
of an electric motor.

W
t

Derive P Fv using

of three vertical forces

using two pulley wheels.

29, 30

Efficiency of HEP stations

Mathematical requirement:
dealing with percentages

Discuss useful work done efficiency.

Efficiency = [useful power output]/[total power) input.
10

GCSE mechanics
momentum =
mass velocity

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Linear momentum,

p = mv.

Discuss and calculate values for, e.g. car and truck with
different speeds.

Discuss and calculate

values for, eg car and truck
with different speeds.

21, 22

Principle of conservation of linear momentum as a

consequence of Newtons laws of motion.

Examples of conservation
of momentum could
include: Newtons cradle,
stepping off a boat, trolley
explosions.

Collision problems in one dimension.

11

Equations of
motion (Week 5)

Projectiles.
Independence of vertical and horizontal motion
Monkey and hunter demonstration.

Use of strobe light to

illuminate objects falling
vertically and projected
horizontally.

15

Monkey and Hunter

demonstration
12

Free-body force
diagrams (Week
6)

Centre of gravity
Moment of a force; the principle of moments.

Lorry on a bridge model,

using spring balances to
support a metre ruler with
weights (lorry) that move
along the ruler.

16, 23, 24

Include examples where

the forces are not all
parallel to each other.
13

GCSE materials density = mass/

volume

Density

m
V

Flotation: upthrust = weight of fluid displaced

Laminar and turbulent flow, viscosity and Stokes law,

F = 6rv.

14

GCSE materials

CORE PRACTICAL 4: Use a falling-ball method to

determine the viscosity of a liquid.

Hookes law,

F = kx

Measure the density of air

Demonstration of floating
objects sinking further as
their weight increases.

49, 50, 51,

52

All students should carry

out this experiment.

Loading and unloading of

53, 54, 55

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Hookes law,
F = kx

Force-extension and force-compression graphs.

springs and rubber bands.

Idea of limit of proportionality, elastic limit, yield point,

elastic deformation and plastic deformation (including
relation to graphs)

Measuring the effect of

compression on a range of
materials.

Stress, strain, the Young modulus

Measurement of Young
modulus for different
materials.
15

Tensile/compressive stress-strain graphs and

understanding the term breaking stress.

56, 57, 58

Elastic strain energy in a deformed material sample

from the area under the force/extension graph and

Eel 12 Fx

16

CORE PRACTICAL 5: Determine the Young modulus

of a material.

GCSE current
electricity

Current as rate of flow of charge:

Standard prefixes
(Week 4)

P.d. as work done per unit charge:

Q
t

All students should carry

out this experiment.
Use of ammeters and
voltmeters to measure
current and potential
difference. I-V graph for an
ohmic conductor.

31, 32,
33,38

W
.
Q

Define resistance, R

V
I

Ohms law.

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17

Experiments to investigate
series and parallel circuits.

GCSE electricity
series and parallel
circuits

Series and parallel circuits

Kirchhoffs laws.

34, 35, 36

Mathematical requirement:
derivation of formulae for
series and parallel
resistors.

Resistor combinations:

R = R1+R2+R3 (series resistors)

1
1
1
1

(parallel resistors).
R R1 R2 R3
18

Power (Week 10)

I-V characteristics of: ohmic conductors, filament bulbs,

thermistors and diodes
Electrical working

19

W
IV
t

Demonstration of variation of resistance of thermistor

with change of temperature and LDR with change of
light level.

20

VR1
.
( R1 R2 )

e.m.f as work done per unit charge:

W
.
Q

e.m.f. and internal resistance.

Plot P-V graphs.

V2
.
R

Potential divider

V1

37, 38

W = IVt

Electrical power, P

P = I2R and P

Plot I-V graphs for a range

of components.

Demonstration of a
potential divider circuit.

42, 43, 44

Demonstration of variation
of resistance of thermistor
with change of
temperature and LDR with
change of light level.
Demonstrate the effect on
the terminal potential
difference of a cell of
altering the load across the
cell.

45, 46

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CORE PRACTICAL 3: Determine the e.m.f. and internal

resistance of an electrical cell.

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Mathematical requirement:
dealing with a negative
gradient.
All students should carry
out this experiment.

Investigate the effect of

temperature on the
rsistance of a thermistor.
21

Resistivity, R

I
A

Conduction mechanisms, distinction between metals,

semiconductors and insulators.

39, 40, 41,

47, 48

All students should carry

out this experiment.

I = nqvA.

GCSE light
reflection and
refraction
22

CORE PRACTICAL 2: Measure the electrical

resistivity of a material.

Intensity, I

Ripple tank to demonstrate

refraction of wavefronts.

P
A

Waves meeting an interface between two media, pulse

echo techniques
Refraction, refractive index and Snells law
Critical angle and total internal reflection.

70, 71, 72,

73, 74, 88, 89

Ray tracing through a

glass block.
Use of semi-circular block
to demonstrate critical
angle.
Fibre optics as an
example.

GCSE light
simple ray
diagrams
23

An understanding that image formation in lenses is due

to refraction.
Definition of focal length of a lens
Ray diagrams for converging and diverging lenses.
Real and virtual images and their properties
Simple lens equation,

10

1 1 1
.
u v
f

Demonstration of image
formation by converging
and diverging lenses.

75, 76, 79, 80

Ray diagrams to locate the

image position
Experimental verification of
lens formula

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24

Focal length and power of a lens, P

1
f

P = P1 + P2 + P3 + for thin lenses in combination

linear magnification, m

25

Diffraction: single slit water wave diffraction

demonstration. Width of central maximum linked to
relative sizes of wavelength and slit.

Ripple tank demonstration

for water wave diffraction.

GCSE light photons

Use of polaroid filters

Effect of concentration of
sugar solution on the plane
of polarisation

n = dsin.

CORE PRACTICAL 8: Determine the wavelength of

light from a laser or other light source using a
diffraction grating.

Photon model:

E = hf

Small energy unit, 1eV = 1.6 x 10-19J.

77, 78, 81, 82

Experimental verification
that m = v/u

Understand what is meant by plane polarisation.

the diffraction grating,

26

hi v

ho u

Measure the focal length of

a lens.

83, 84, 85

Diffraction grating and

laser for light diffraction.
Mathematical requirement:
use of trig functions.
All students should carry
out this experiment.
Flame tests with diffraction
gratings.

90, 91, 94, 96

Demonstration using UV
and a zinc plate on a

92, 93

Atomicline spectra.
Energy level ladder diagrams. Ground & excited
states, choice of routes back photons emitted,

hf = E1 E2.
27

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The photoelectric effect

11

coulombmeter.

Work function and the photoelectric equation

2
hf 12 mvmax
.

28

Diffraction (Week
25)

Wave-particle duality

Use of a phototube to
investigate how max KE of
photoelectrons varies with
frequency of incident
radiation.
86, 87, 95

Wave properties of free electrons

Electron diffraction demonstration.

12

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